Breast Cancer Pain Continues Years After Treatment
Reported November 13, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — The breast cancer battle doesn’t end after treatment is completed. A new study shows almost 50 percent of women experience pain up to three years after treatment, some every day.
In a study conducted at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, researchers examined the prevalence and severity of chronic pain in nearly 4,000 breast cancer patients an average of 26 months after surgery. They found 47 percent reported pain, with 13 percent reporting severe pain. Another 39 percent reported moderate pain, and 48 percent reported light pain. Of the women who reported severe pain, 77 percent experienced it every day.
Patients who received radiation therapy in addition to surgery were more likely to have continued pain. Younger age at treatment also increased the risk of prolonged pain.
“There was a significant association of age on reporting pain, where young age was associated with higher risk, especially for patients receiving breast-conserving surgery (BCS), the risk being highest for those women aged 18 to 39 years receiving BCS compared with women aged 60 to 69 years,” study authors wrote.
Researchers say chronic pain after breast cancer surgery and other treatments are probably related to nerve injury.
SOURCE: JAMA, November 2009
